how do u help save the in environment in ur homes? qin_bell: hi..what are ur ways of keeping green?maybe u have methods that others might find useful.let's all give answers!  ohnonotthatguy: Qin_bell Sorry to say but I didn't install solar panel to save the environment I did it to save money Saving money was what made me purchase them  Zanjan: Must be a small car to get it inside your home I collect rainwater in two cisterns, each holding 1,000 gallons plus - I use the water for everything but drinking, except my animals and plants drink it. Grey water is re-used. In-house water conservation methods practiced full time. No anti-bacterial soaps. Pump sprays wherever possible instead of aerosols. Prefer natural remedies over chemical whenever possible (chems/drug residue gets into ground water). All veggie food scraps go into the compost pile, which is returned to the gardens. The other food scraps go to the dogs. I turn the heat down low at night in winter and wear sweaters; also feed the winter birds seeds that I grew and collected. Recycle plastics, tin and cardboard....re-usable bags for shopping. Have low wattage light bulbs and solar tech wherever possible. Garbage reduction practices employed full time. Lots more.  ghostgeek: Yes, it's a pretty small car, small enough to fit in the garage. Not many people seem able to do that nowadays. Zanjan: You know, society doesn't make smart, environmentally-friendly conveyance easy. When I lived in the city, I had a car but usually rode my bicycle or took the bus whenever possible. However, the city is a dangerous place to ride a bike or scooter - there's only a few bike paths and those are for pleasure riding/sightseeting - nothing that could take you shopping or to work. How much trouble and cost is it to make streets safer by adding a little more pavement to create a wider road? Think of the pollution reduction! No carbon footprint, more parking spaces available, noise and serious accident reduction. I can't ride a bike because I live in the country - it's hell on gravel roads, especially in the wind, and too dangerous on highways that have no shoulders. Nevertheless, we could accommodate every situation if we chose. Handicapped people could drive an electric, covered scooter in many more places if there were special lanes for them to make it safer. A young woman in town has trained her big dog to a harness with a cart behind that she sits in - he pulls it along as if he were a horse, she takes it all over and does a fair speed too. Imagine starting a business to do that for folks who couldn't afford cabs or a scooter! In the winter, the dog pulls her sled. I wanted a donkey but husband said no - perhaps one day I'll get him talked into it - cheaper to feed than gas, fewer and cheaper repairs, don't have to buy insurance, more fun than a car, provides great fertilizer and is a fearless protector of property. Society really needs to think how to make it easier to protect the planet and better utilize the resources available to us. ghostgeek: Zanjan, I live in a smallish town so It's possible to walk most anywhere I want to. The exercise is supposed to be good for one. The reason my car still exists is because I rarely drive it. I really only use it to do the weekly shop. In fact I hate driving. A benefit is that it saves on petrol. I use very little. What about public transport, buses and trains? Zanjan: We don't have those in the country, which is why it annoys me when people diss those who drive SUVs and trucks. We need them out here - there's no snow plows, lots of gravel, sometimes there's deep mud, and we have to haul stuff. My vehicles have to pay for themselves with every ounce of work I can get out of them. I'm always volunteering to carpool a large group of people because I have that passenger capacity - 1 vehicle in stead of 8. The real problem is corporations and industries. The gas plant 4 klms down the highway here has blazing lights on 24/7 - so halogen bright you can't see the stars in the sky above them and I have to pull my bedroom shades to sleep. That's totally unnecessary! Big industry wants to buy my carbon credits so they can pour more garbage into the environment. NO WAY - if I can make that effort, so can they. I don't condone cop outs. In the face of the real destroyers, it's hard to believe we, as individuals, can make much of a difference. Yet we do make improvements by acting on our desire to protect the planet, starting right in our own homes. It's a life style, an awareness, a state of mind. This will never happen top-down because when the consciousness isn't there, somebody's always gonna break the rules. We have to change our thinking at the grass roots level to eliminate the demand for plundering and pirating any natural resource on the planet. If we grow up with this perspective from birth, it will eventually reach the top levels in the natural way. (Edited by Zanjan) ghostgeek: Over here in the UK we're busy closing down all the power stations to save the planet. Over in China they're burning more coal than ever before. It doesn't quite seem to add up somehow. Zanjan: The East and the West only met 100 years ago; it's going to take time to get in sync. I was watching a show on TV the other night about wildlife. At some point in the presentation, the narrator mentioned "Man's natural environment". What the heck is that? I never did find out because he didn't explain himself. ghostgeek: Man's natural environment? I don't think there is any such thing. We make the environment suit us. From the evidence, the town and city is where we belong. Even the countryside has been tamed. Zanjan: Man belongs in family social groups; individuals must be interdependent and industrious to remain in the group. Often seen moving in small herds, this species tends to be nomadic yet territorial. Habitat can range from coastal regions, wetlands, plains, mountains and deserts, usually within access of a water source. Man is an omnivore - an excellent and powerful predator, often killing more than he needs to consume. He's at the top of the food chain with no natural enemies except other human family groups and rogue individuals. Battles between packs are common, often fought to the death with the winner being the most clever and innovative group, rather than the strongest. Man is a den-dweller; he may build his own, assume another's, or take his with him on migration. In groups, he's essentially co-operative but, above all, must respect the order of rank. In every family group, there's one Alpha male and one Alpha female; in a herd, there's an Alpha Leader of the clan, who is constantly being challenged by a pretender to the throne. Man makes and uses tools. While individuals have tamed other species for their use, this isn't a universal talent or practice. Nest-building involves much feathering, even when mates produce no offspring. For the most part, humans are serial monogamists; the mating dance involves the exchange of gifts and gentle vocals but choreography varies from region to region, and depending on the whims of the female. Offspring are produced in individual litters from 1 - 4, the former being the norm. Parents raise them to 15 years of age, though some fledgelings remain with them to 18 years of age. Often, they're raised only by one parent and occasionally, they'll adopt orphans. Man is the only species that takes care of its aged members until death. Man is the only species with the capacity to rise above natural traits, to overcome instinct, and change his own environment. While the human is the only species to have traveled away from the planet, that isn't its natural environment; that he's littered earth's orbital field with his waste, is an attempt to make himself feel more at home in a new place.........rather like territorial marking. (Edited by Zanjan) ghostgeek: Interesting synopsis of the human animal Zanjan. I'm not sure about the no natural enemies bit though. Our species seems to have been fighting bacteria and viruses of all kinds since day one. We may have won a few battles but the war continues. Zanjan: Well, life on earth will always be dangerous for every living thing but there are sanctuaries to rest and recoup from the struggle. When we destroy those sanctuaries, that's downright suicidal. Some believe humanity will self-destruct. Others have a better outlook, having faith that raising awareness and education will eventually permeate populations. So far, this process has been so slow, many species have become extinct and many more are close to it. What we have left is being carried forward on a veritable Noah's Ark, courageously tended until we get through this storm. Preservation of the remnants is front and center. I've been doing my part with what God has entrusted to me - things I never imagined I'd be doing since there were more knowledgeable people who could have done it. Yet, it landed in my inexperienced lap because those knowledgeable people weren't doing it. I had to learn fast; time was of the essence. Years ago, I had a breeding program for a breed of dogs which required genetic reclamation of a nearly extinct, critical trait. That was successful; I only hope the rescue wasn't in vain and there are others maintaining the progress. Now, I organically grow heritage seeds and old garden roses - we'll be needing them in future to re-build the damage caused by unethical corporations, scientists and commercial growers. Take heart that God has His people working on this; the sooner there are more, the sooner we'll see the shore. (Edited by Zanjan) Captain Canada: Middle of this month ( April ) the provincial government of Ontario has ordered a rate increase on hydro bills due to the fact the citizens are consuming far less electricity than normal Rate increase is to offset projected financial income into government coffers  Plumpcherry: Try not to use too much of natural resources the wrong way, and manmade pollution items cut down on. Plumpcherry: I recycle ♻️ Food in the dirt and regular recycling. People get mad. But they put their trash on the street. I bury mine deep where it pose to be. |
